B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot – Great Duck Load

Description

Bismuth solves two problems at once, and the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot is a good example of why people pay for it. It is non toxic, so it is legal for waterfowl everywhere. And it is soft enough to shoot through older barrels and fixed chokes that steel would damage, which matters if your duck gun is a fine double rather than a synthetic pump.

• Why bismuth instead of steel
• Full specifications
• Ducks over decoys, and old guns
• Honest notes before you buy
• The price, and why boxes are ten rounds
• The bottom line

Why bismuth instead of steel

Steel is cheap and it works, but it is hard and it is light. Hard means it scours barrels and chokes, which rules out a great many older guns. Light means it sheds energy fast. Bismuth is denser than steel and softer than lead, and the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot uses that to get closer to lead performance without the barrel worry.

Density matters most at range. A bismuth pellet carries more energy further than a steel pellet of the same size, which means the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot does not force you to jump up two shot sizes and thin your pattern the way steel does. You keep both the pellet count and the reach.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 12 gauge, 2 3/4 inch shell
• Bullet weight: 1 1/5 ounce of bismuth, a blend of 4 and 3 shot grain
• Bullet: blended 4 and 3 bismuth shot, non toxic
• Muzzle velocity: 1350 fps
• Muzzle energy: not published for shotshells ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not applicable to shotshells
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 10 rounds per box

The dual shot size is the other idea here. Blending 4 and 3 puts two pellet sizes in the same payload, the larger ones carrying energy further and the smaller ones filling the pattern. The B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot is trying to cover a wider range of distances with one shell rather than optimizing for a single one.

Ducks over decoys, and old guns

A 1 1/5 ounce payload at 1350 feet per second in a 2 3/4 inch shell is a decoying duck load rather than a pass shooting load. Inside forty yards the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot has the energy and the pattern for mallards, wood ducks and teal, which is most of what happens over a decoy spread.

The real appeal is for anyone shooting a gun that cannot take steel. Vintage doubles, fixed full choke barrels, guns with thin walls or soft steel. The B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot lets those guns go duck hunting again, which is not something a steel load can offer at any price.

Honest notes before you buy

Still check your barrel. Bismuth is much kinder than steel but it is not lead, and a very old or thin walled barrel deserves a gunsmith’s opinion before you shoot anything modern through it. Most guns in sound condition handle the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot without concern.

Set the range expectation sensibly. A 2 3/4 inch shell with 1 1/5 ounces is a decoying load, not a pass shooting load. Forty yards is a realistic ceiling with the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot. If your hunting involves high birds and long shots, the three inch version of this shell carries more payload and is the better choice.

The price, and why boxes are ten rounds

Bismuth is expensive because the metal is expensive and the supply is limited. That is why the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot comes ten to a box rather than twenty five. Nobody is burning a case of this on a practice day. It is the shell you load when the birds are working, with cheaper steel for the rest.

Plenty of hunters do exactly that, carrying a handful of the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot for the situations where it matters and a box of steel for everything else. If your gun tolerates steel, that is a sensible way to manage the cost. If it does not, bismuth is simply what duck hunting costs with that gun.

The bottom line

For ducks over decoys with a gun that cannot shoot steel, the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot is one of the few genuinely good answers available. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the B&P Dual Bismuth 12ga 2 3/4in 4+3 Shot is a sensible place to start.